Automotive vehicles are increasingly being equipped with electronic devices such as radios, global positioning system (GPS) receivers, cell phones, and other infotainment, entertainment and telematics devices that require wireless data communication. Each wireless communication device typically employs an antenna to receive and/or transmit signals to communicate with remote transmitting and/or receiving devices. For example Satellite Digital Audio Radio System (SDARS) antennas communicate radio frequency (RF) signals with one or more satellites. The SDARS antennas are generally required to be positioned in a substantially unobstructed view of one or more satellites to communicate signals therebetween.
In conventional vehicle mounted antenna applications, antennas are typically mounted on vehicle housings, such as the roof panel or the rear decklid, or on one of the windows. Currently, most automotive vehicle housings generally include metallic (electrically conductive) body panels. On metallic vehicle housings, the antenna is typically mounted outside of a metallic body panel to prevent signal blocking interference from the electrically conductive body panels. In vehicles employing a metallic housing, the metallic housing generally serves as an electrical ground which provides some antenna radiation pattern stability to the wireless signal communication. However, many vehicle body housings are made of a composite dielectric (i.e., electrically non-conductive) material, such as fiberglass. In the past, vehicle mounted antennas have been mounted to a composite dielectric member of the housing (body) of the vehicle. However, the antenna mount arrangement on vehicles having composite body members generally has not optimized the wireless signal communication.
It is therefore desirable to provide for an antenna mount arrangement on a vehicle which optimizes the antenna radiation pattern to enhance antenna performance. In particular, it is desirable to provide for an antenna mounted on a vehicle having a dielectric composite housing to enhance the antenna signal performance.